Sakura's Death
by DevJeb4700
Summary: A collection of reactions to Sakura's death. When a ship is involved, the name will take the place of the chapter (Ex. KakaSaku). When general story is involved, the name of the character reacting will be the name of the chapter (Ex. Tsunade). I actually love Sakura's character, so I'm not Anti-Saku. Please review! (More characters than listed) Definite AU; Slight OOC
1. Sakura's Death

The ANBU slipped passed all the trees, the traces of her whereabouts only told by the few blades of delicate grass that were crushed beneath her.

Quickening her pace into a speedy run, the ANBU adjusted her mask and thrust herself into the clearing.

She made no sound as she took in the sight of pure destruction. Although there were no bodies to account for, the blood that dyed the grass could easily identify for several dozen Shinobi, how many of them were dead, she could not tell.

The medic inside of her fidgeted, but she fought to control herself. Her Inner bashed several impulses with her exaggerated fists as the more dominant and physically present blinked. Her fingers twitched, the gloves had not been broken in, yet, and softly crinkled from the movement.

Masking her chakra, the ANBU female swiveled her gaze towards the edge of the glade, directly across from her. Focusing on the ninja with his back to her, she crouched lower. In the male's grasp was another Shinobi, and although he was gasping and clawing at the fingertips around his neck, she knew he was already long gone.

Just before she rushed forwards, the ANBU jumped to the left, her own kunai sailing in the direction of the one she had just dodged. The kage bunshin behind her exploded, signalling that its master had released its hold on it.

From behind her mask, she opened her mouth, but did not speak. Racing towards the one owner of the kage bunshin, the ANBU dodged several more kunai, before digging her own into the body of the male.

He erupted in her face.

Silently cursing herself for not recognizing it, she gripped the weapon in her left hand, the right slamming into the ground just below her.

The ground cracked and sputtered, exploding underneath and around her. As several trees crashed downwards, and the underbrush was forced into the sky, what she could only assume was another kage bunshin appeared behind her.

"Tsunade, I didn't expect you to come." Probing his chakra with her own, the ANBU female identified him as the one creating all of the distractions. She dismissed his words as he added, "And you've come dressed for the occasion."

The open space seemed a bit more closed in with the definite destruction everywhere. She could assume the damage ranged anywhere from two miles out, to five.

Slowly gathering herself to a standing position, the ANBU turned towards her opponent.

Uchiha Sasuke glared down at her.

The only sound she made in response was the sound of her charging at him with full speed. He hardly had to dodge, but not before one of her weapons scratched him.

Before he could thrust a weapon into her back, she swirled to face him.

They began to spar, him not wanting to dispose of her just yet. By the time he was ready, she had landed several chakra-encrusted kicks to his abdomen and solar plexus, and a shuriken had sunk into his thigh.

By then, several other Shinobi had arrived at this battlefield. Deeming the amount of ninjas as enough to watch their Hokage fall, Sasuke gripped his tanto in his left hand, waiting for the right time to strike.

She lunged at him once again, ignoring the weapon in his grasp. Just as she touched a chakra-laden fist to his neck, the tanto dug into her stomach.

The ANBU continued to fight, despite the fatal wound. Uchiha Sasuke gripped the weapon tighter, inching it upwards with desperate swipes to her body. Her chakra glowed brighter than the fading sunlight, but she did not use it to heal herself. The fighting female got several heavy hits in, before succumbing to her injuries.

With one last act, she ripped the shuriken from his leg, slicing it down his skin before taking it back into her grip. He screamed in pain, lifting the uninjured leg and kicking her to the ground.

As she bounced into the dirt, her ANBU cloak came loose, the hood falling from her head.

Sasuke opened his lips to notify the surrounding Shinobi of their dead Hokage, when a flash of pink descended upon the blood stained ground. 


	2. Sasuke

Sasuke had left the scene soon after he heard the soft thrum of weighted footsteps direct towards him, but not before he removed the mask of the ANBU that had attacked him.

He now sat atop a hill, overlooking several fields and vast sections of trees and woods. Thinking back to the battle, he noted how much her skills had improved. He had always been one to mock Sakura's skill set, claiming she was as worthless as a civilian, but he had also been the one to mistake her for the Hokage.

Leaning back on the arm that was extended behind him, Sasuke continued to run the battle over in his mind.

Sakura had not only masked her identity, but her chakra. She did it so well, that even when she was charging up another powerful attack, he could not identify the power source as hers. Or, perhaps it had simply been to long since he detected it.

The sting of his wounds forced his attention away from the girl he had killed, just a few hours prior. He hadn't known it at the time, but she had laced her weapons with a fine poison. His gaze lowered to his right thigh, where the shuriken had severed muscle tissue, tendons, and had even scraped against the bone. Worse than that, he acknowledged the fact that it had gone completely numb, no doubt because of the poison. Likely, it wasn't deadly, but it would take him awhile to flush it from his system, if it didn't completely paralyze him.

Turning his thoughts back towards the battle, or rather the last few minutes before he fled, Sasuke compared who Sakura was, to who she became.

Sakura had clearly surpassed his expectations for her. She was likely a highly respected ANBU officer, considering she was sent to go after him. When her mask was lifted from her face, he could see there were several things that rendered the image of her in his mind wrong.

She had clearly aged. Her features were more prominent and feminine, and her face was not an eyesore, nor annoying to think about. Her face was paled, but that could be due to blood loss, or death. Though she was not smiling, Sasuke could imagine that it had not changed much since he last saw it, and it still would have lit up her face.

Her stature had changed, as well. The way she had held herself was much more confident than what she had when he saw her last. Her movements were defined by precision, and not guess-work. Her attacks held a higher efficiency, and his wounds could attest to that.

Reliving the battle in his mind, he cursed himself for his foolishness. She was nothing like the Fifth in body, but perhaps it was her skill that fooled him. He had been unsure of who the ANBU was, until he saw her hit the ground, and have the ground cave in and erupt beneath her touch.

Releasing himself from his thoughts, Sasuke brought his guard up from its already high standing, and stood as best as he could.

Pressing his chakra into his damaged leg, Sasuke set off in the direction of the clearing he had left recently.

There were no strings of hope, he was sure that her body was taken. He would not apologize for ridding the world of her presence, nor would he feel sorry for doing so. He planned to simply go there, and look at the aftermath of the chaotic attack that had taken place there, both before and after Sakura had arrived. 


	3. KotetSaku

Hagane Kotetsu had been distracting himself by walking alone in the village, Konohagakure. For once, his best friend, Kamizuki Izumo was not with him.

The dark haze of night was illuminated by the lanterns the citizens had set up. As much as he wanted to enjoy the scenery, one particular event was stained in his mind, and he couldn't pry his thoughts from it.

Those selected for another Uchiha Retrieval mission came back, what looked like hundreds of bodies in tow. Kotetsu couldn't say he recognized any of them, for the only mask he familiarized himself with was in the arms of another.

At first, he had thought the Cherry Blossom of Konoha was simply injured, but piecing it together, he knew she was gone. If she were simply injured, she would not be in the arms of another ninja, she would have been riding on their back. Not only that, but there would not be so many limping towards the gates.

The night in which she arrived made her face seem surreal, she looked too pale. From the moment he saw her, Kotetsu knew this image would forever be burned into his mind.

Kotetsu bumped into a large object. Breaking himself from his daze, he noticed it was not something inanimate, rather someone that did not usually move. Hatake Kakashi did not look over his book to see who it was.

"Kotetsu." Kakashi calmly nodded. At first, Kotetsu was confused as to how, and why, he was so at ease. "Where is Izumo?"

News had not traveled so quickly, then. Perhaps others thought the same as what he had, perhaps they believed Haruno Sakura to be injured.

"Haruno," Kotetsu paused. "Sakura, is dead."

This caused Kakashi to finally look over his book, acknowledging his curiosity in the matter. His gaze was skeptical, and had Kotetsu not seen it for himself, he would have believed the information was false, as well.

"I believe she is just fine." Kotetsu shook his head lightly at his old friend's words.

"I saw her earlier, arriving at the gates." Placing a shoulder on the infamous Copy Nin's shoulder, he added, "I'm sorry."

The night had slowly progressed from bad, to horrible. The look in Kakashi's eyes gave nothing away, but from the way he so brutally shoved his book into one of many pockets, Kotetsu could tell he was upset.

As expected, before Kotetsu could remove his palm from the other mans body, he was gone.

With that, he continued plodding through the town, his mood only souring with every thought to pass his head.

Kotetsu never fancied himself to be a potential suitor for the pink-haired girl, but he would never deny his attraction to her. He had watched her grow from the small girl she had been, to the stunning woman she was. He secretly thought about the smiles she gave him, even long after they had gone. He felt the warmth emitting from her body after every embrace, even if she had been gone for months on missions.

Perhaps had he been several, several years younger, he would have tried to be a suitor for her, but he had hit his prime long before, and she was just reaching the pinnacle of hers.

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he groaned, "If she weren't dead!"

His thought process had advanced since his meeting with Hatake Kakashi, and Kotetsu quickly looked around for anyone to have heard that. Most likely, the details were not to be shared at such an early time.

Satisfied that there had not been anyone to hear his outburst, Kotetsu carried on with his walk, continuing down familiar paths until the light of dawn slowly began to take the place of the lanterns, and even then, he continued, for in his thoughts, every minute was a different day, and the outside world was just one he would relive sometime else. 


	4. Naruto

Uzumaki Naruto continued to bask in the light of the fading day. He had been receiving strange looks all day, but unlike when he was younger, they were sympathetic.

Unfortunately, he had slept much later than usual, arriving home from a mission in the middle of the night, so it seemed he had missed out on whatever caused Konoha to react so unkindly to him. His solo mission had been a success, and the target had been brought in for interrogation, so he wondered what he had done wrong.

Even Kotetsu had been distant. The older ninja usually resided with his best friend, Izumo, but he had been found walking alone, despite it having been extremely early.

Looking up from his thoughts, Naruto saw two familiar faces. One belonged to the infamous Sublime Green Beast of Prey, and the other to his old Sensei.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Gai!" Naruto rushed over to them, but stopped in his tracks as he heard Gai's words,

"I'm so sorry. Sakura-chan was a great Kunoichi. You taught her well, my friend. She will be eternally remembered."

Naruto took a hesitant step backwards as he choked out, "Sakura-chan?"

The slump in his old sensei's shoulders seemed to deepen before he finally acknowledged Naruto's presence, turning towards the orange clad Jounin. His words hung heavy in Naruto's mind, his usual calm tone became one stricken with grief,

"Was killed in battle." Kakashi finished.

Naruto's mind ran over all of the possibilities. This had to be a joke, he thought. A cruel, heartless, pathetic excuse for a joke, but a joke nonetheless. Looking into Kakashi's visible eye, he searched it for any hint of a lie.

He found nothing.

"She fought bravely, my friend!" Gai exclaimed, placing a hand on the younger male's shoulders. Naruto jerked it away on impulse, his hands going to his eyes immediately, wiping furiously at the tears that left them.

The two watched him as he choked back sobs, his voice coming out in little more than a hoarse whisper, "How do you know? She," Naruto coughed as his voice caught in his throat. "She's always been good at genjutsu, maybe it was a trick. Maybe she tricked you both, maybe she's still al-"

Kakashi broke through his rambling, "I thought that may have been the case as well. Naruto, Sakura is gone. It's not a trick."

Reality crashed onto the shoulders of the young Jounin as he sputtered, "Who?" His voice went from sorrowful to malignant, his eyes thankfully hidden by his bangs.

Kakashi looked away from the boy, still coping with the details of what he'd heard from the grapevine. Gai was even less confident with the answer, but he knew what she had been sent off to do before she was murdered.

"Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." The spandex-wearing ninja claimed. He looked at the figure in front of him, looking for any sense of harmful intention or action about to erupt in his face.

The cold clutching Naruto's heart less than a heartbeat ago warmed, and began to burn hot in his chest until it spread everywhere else. His chakra pulsed in him, and he desperately wanted to reach out and strangle his best friend's killer, and his old teammate. His breath came out in heated and shuddered huffs. His fists clenched so tight, he could feel his short nails begin to dig into his palm. Finally, the fire spread to his eyes, taking over the grief that had been there just seconds ago.

His head jolted towards the two males in front of him. Kakashi still did not look him in the eye, his head turned away. Gai looked at him with concern and understanding.

"It is not official, nor has it been announced by Lady Tsunade," Gai reached out towards the Jounin again. "But several people have seen her body, and those at the hospital have come out pale and sad, clinging onto things that can only be assumed to be her belongings. I'm sorry, Naruto. I know how close she was to you.

But she fought bravely. She fought wonderfully. From what I gathered, all of her weapons, save for her fists, were laced with an intense poison that paralyzes those affected, and stops their chakra flow. If she even managed to land one good hit into Sasuke, we can bring him in. She will not have died in vain."

Naruto was still breathing heavily. The looks of others were not filled with malice, but rather, sadness. Just as his had been prior to finding out who her killer was.

From the corner of his eye, Naruto observed Kakashi. He had finally returned his gaze to his old student, and seemed to be studying him as hard as Naruto was watching him.

This silent battle waged on until Naruto broke the silence, "I'm going to bring him in."

"You can't, Tsunade hasn't briefed anyone on the retri-" Gai was cut off as Kakashi voiced his own agreement to Naruto's statement. Flabbergasted, Gai looked back at his eternal rival, surprised by the flame burning in his gaze.

"Good," Naruto grunted. Turning away from the two older Jounin, Naruto called over his shoulder, "Meet me at the old training grounds in a couple hours."

No further words were exchanged between the two parties as Naruto forced chakra into his feet, bounding off towards the rooftops before jumping onto the nearest one, and racing along the concrete slabs.

Those below him swore they felt raindrops fall onto them. 


	5. Ino

Yamanaka Ino watched as people rushed around and passed her flower shop. No one would look her in the eye, and it seemed her customers couldn't look anyone else in the eye, either.

She knew why, of course. Once she had found out, pink and green flowers became the center of her attention, and by the time the shop had opened, those colors dominated over all others. The different hues and shades of the two colors did little to settle her aching heart, if anything, it intensified the pain, but she did not remove the plants.

She watched as customers came and went. Often they muttered something, but she could not hear them. She wasn't sure if it was because they were turned away, or that she no longer cared.

Idle gossip found its way into her shop, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't engage into the conversations wholeheartedly. Those who chatted with her avoided the topic she was thinking about, not mentioning anything that may turn her thoughts to her pink-haired friend.

She stopped thinking about the days events as a blond ninja came running up to her, forcing her thoughts away from what she had heard earlier.

Naruto charged at her, and before she could move away, he had encased her in a tight embrace.

"N-Naruto?! Get off!" Ino exclaimed, but not truly struggling. She knew this boy was as close to Sakura as she had been, if not closer.

"Ino," Naruto trailed off, gripping her in an even more constricting hug. He pulled away, the concern in his eyes stealing away any anger she had held for him. "Ino, did you hear?"

The mood darkened around the two. Those who wanted to purchase anything from her shop shuffled away, respecting the two's need to be alone.

She studied him for a close moment. His eyes, although they were filled with sorrow, held another emotion to them. It resembled something close to hatred, or another dark and spiteful emotion, she couldn't tell what it was. Although his voice sounded upset, his eyes told a different story.

Deciding not to prolong the inevitable, Ino freed an arm from his grasp, slowly raising it to her reddened forehead, "I know, I know. I can tell because this hurts."

Anyone who had been passing by could have assumed she pointed to another place, judging by her strained voice. Although she had tried to lift the mood, she could feel her heart sinking even further.

To be entirely truthful, she had heard through the vine of gossip that always streamed into her shop. Her forehead was red and sore from the hundreds of times she banged it against the wall while she tried to wake herself up from this unending nightmare.

Naruto, having knowledge of the nicknames Sakura and Ino had given one another could only gasp her name again, before drawing her close once more. She said nothing, and after a few moments, her arms were wrapped around his body just as tightly as he was holding hers.

Tears pricked at her eyes, stinging them. She released her hold on them the second she felt his own splash against her shoulders. No longer trying to be brave for customers or anyone who happened to stop by, she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Naruto," Ino's voice was packed with emotion as she called out his name. "Why?"

The question had been stirring in his mind since he rushed away from his old sensei and Gai. He knew why, and yet he didn't. He knew why Sakura had gone to try and hurt Sasuke, perhaps she even tried to kill him, but he did not know why Sasuke had killed his old teammate, and Naruto's best friend.

For awhile, Naruto said nothing, he only held onto the closest connection to Sakura he could think of. Her tears dampened his outfit, going as far as to chill his body when it dripped passed the many layers, but he said nothing. He knew she needed this.

Finally, she pulled away from him, her tears staining her usually pretty face. Her nose was red, and her face seemed to only grow whiter as the seconds ticked by.

Sensing that she wasn't done yet, Naruto drew her close once more. He wasn't sure how long the two had been standing like that, or how many people had seen, but he didn't loosen his hold on her until her sobs became little more than quiet sniffles. She pushed away from him soon after his grip had lost its strength, her footsteps small and staggering as she stepped away from him.

Ino bit her lip as she thought back to when she had last seen her best friend. It was less than a week prior, perhaps five or six days ago. The two had grown close as the years trickled by, and spent whatever time they could spare together.

Sakura had seemed so excited, but she couldn't say why. There was an ominous gloom hanging around her head, but she was ecstatic nonetheless. Ino had gotten used to her friends' silence. Sakura was a well known ANBU, and her missions were beyond confidential. Often times, the only way Ino could tell that she would be going on a mission would be this off behavior. Ino thought back to the last words she had heard her friend speak before Sakura had headed off,

"I'll see you when I return!"

Ino blinked in surprise. Those words had been uttered yet again.

Snapping her gaze from the ground back at Naruto, she realized that he had spoken to her, had repeated those words without knowing what they meant to her.

"Wait!" She called out as the young Jounin began to run away from her. "Where are you going?"

Naruto paused, looking over his shoulder at the young female. For a moment, his heart raced as he saw traced of Sakura just behind her. He cursed inaudibly, realizing that his gaze had fallen on the flower arrangements Ino had laid out for the day. His voice grew distant as he continued to put distance between the two ninjas, "The training grounds, I've got something to do. I'll see you around, though!"

Ino watched as he darted away, waiting a few minutes before turning back towards the flowers she had so hastily put out.

Grimacing, she concluded that it must have seemed to anyone who had passed that she was obsessed with the passing of Sakura.

In a way, she acknowledged, she was. Although the two had a rough middle, the beginning and end of their friendship was something she held dear, something she had taken for granted.

Ino began to tend to the flowers, trying to push thoughts of her friend as far from her as she could. 


	6. Tsunade

By midday, whether it was released to the public or not, all of Konoha was aware that Haruno Sakura had died on her last mission. Many, perhaps two thirds, of Konoha's Shinobi even knew who had killed her.

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose irritably. As Konohagakure's Fifth Hokage, she had been given the hardest task of any ninja in the entire village when it came to this event. She could not show her emotion, nor affection towards this particular ANBU nin. It was much easier said than done, in her opinion.

Haruno Sakura had become more of a daughter than a student to Tsunade, but her death did not come as a surprise to the aged kunoichi. She had always claimed that the original trio of Team Kakashi was very much like her former team, Team Hiruzen. With this knowledge in mind, she predicted it would end very much the same. Sasuke had become the Orochimaru, Naruto the Jiraiya, and Sakura becoming like herself.

Thinking of this, Tsunade pegged herself a fool for thinking that everything would fall into place much as it had with her trio. Yes, Naruto had sought after his former teammate, but unlike Jiraiya, he had a wide expanse of chakra at his disposal, thanks to the Nine-Tails. She was even more foolish to have believed that the one with Jiraiya's ability would befall the same fate as he.

Casting her gaze to the paperwork at her desk, Tsunade inspected the contents for several minutes before giving up. She couldn't focus with thoughts of her deceased student plaguing her thoughts.

Turning away from her desk, Tsunade stood, and sauntered from her responsibilities. She didn't dare open her door, nor step out of it. She had already received apologetic glances, and murmurs of sorrow whispered in her direction.

She would have reached for her vast collection of sake that was always at her disposal when Shizune was not around, but she knew nothing good would come out of that. With her luck, she would drown not only in the liquid, but the intangible memories of her former student. As much as she wished to press the bottles to her lips and force the liquid fire down her throat, she knew it was best to break the habit, even if just for a day.

Pacing around the room, Tsunade pinpointed her weaknesses. She had a list of all those who died on the mission presented to her, but the only one that sprang to mind immediately was the ANBU who she had once mentored.

Stopping, her gaze fell on a mask just diagonally across from her. The ANBU officer that had held her Sakura in their arms had given her that, claiming that they would collect it when she was ready to be named at whatever memorial service the Fifth had planned.

It sat there, it's paint haunting her. She had painted it herself, as all ANBU do when they receive their blank masks after initiation.

It was as though Tsunade was looking into Haruno Sakura's empty soul.

A knock sounded at the door. Tearing her gaze from the clay, Tsunade heard her assistant's voice on the other side. Giving her permission to come in, Shizune poked her head in, likely expecting to witness her Hokage submerged in several dozen alcoholic beverages.

Instead, she found a mask thrust into her face.

"Take this," Tsunade shook like a leaf, and her words matched her actions. Shizune was unsure if she was sad or angry, but knew better than to press.

Taking the object in hands, Shizune recognized the mask as the one that had belonged to her friend, Sakura.

After taking the mask into her hands, Shizune nodded quickly. It was only after the action was completed did she realized Tsunade could not see her from her position. "Hai," Shizune corrected herself.

"Go." Tsunade ordered, swiveling her body in the direction she faced. "Cancel any and all appointments I have scheduled. If missions need to be briefed, do it for me. And when I see you next, I expect a date in which there are no Shinobi on, or being sent on missions. Dismissed."

Shizune did not react negatively to her Hokage's cold attitude. Some people cope differently with loss, and Shizune could not reprimand her friend for doing so, even if she pushed others away for the day. She closed the door, only hoping she would not come back to Lady Tsunade on the floor with more bottles around her than she could count. 


	7. Yamato

The day was not a dark one, though many wish it was.

Unfortunately, a date where all Shinobi are in the village is not a date that exists in the near future, so Tsunade had to settle for when most were. There were still many on missions, some of which who had no idea of the many ninja who had been killed. Sadly, they would have to figure out what had happened for themselves, the dead could not wait to be put to rest, the village felt they had waited long enough.

And so, all who could be present were gathered at the around Konoha. Names had already been carved into the Memorial Stone, and now, everyone just waited for Tsunade to arrive.

Yamato watched in sorrow as the aging Hokage emerged from the crowd. Her delicate footsteps were no longer so frail, disturbing the ground beneath her. He watched as she maneuvered herself so that she was standing with her back to the blossoming Sakura tree. Just thinking of the name of the cherry blossoms beckoned Yamato to close his eyes in remembrance to a girl he had known who had also shared that name.

He faintly heard Tsunade read off the introduction to the ceremony. It was not held often, so she had not memorized it.

The soft hum of voices was quiet, an unsettling air of anguish hung over the large crowd like a storm.

Yamato heard a gentle cracking sound. Looking to his left, he saw another teammate of his, Naruto, fighting back tears. Although sadness tugged at his own heart, Yamato fought to be strong for his teammate. He felt as though this was not the time for words, however, so he rubbed a hand along the younger boy's arm whilst turning his attention back towards the Hokage.

She had already begun reading off the names of the dead. Yamato had not realized so many had died in this seemingly futile attack, but the list seemed to stretch on forever.

Perhaps everyone had lost someone.

Of course, the thought was vain. The list only seemed so long because the Hokage was reading off ANBU code names, clan names, and then the name of the ninja who had departed. Was that custom, or was she doing that to elongate the ceremony? He did not know, nor did he know if he wanted to.

The blossoms of the tree behind her began to fall as a heavy wind picked up, sending the flowers cascading into the crowd.

He noticed the man to his right, Hatake Kakashi, pluck a bud from the air just as Lady Tsunade read the name on most ninja's mind, "Haruno Sakura."

Yamato hadn't been listening enough to hear her code name, nor the name of her clan, if she had one. His head bowed, and from the corner of his eyes, he noticed several others had done the same.

Yamanaka Ino was brushing back tears as someone held her. Her smile wriggled on her face until she finally allowed it to fall. Her hair was in a disarray, her distress evident.

Hagane Kotetsu was shuddering somewhere in front of him. Kamizuki Izumo was patting his back gently. Yamato had not thought about it before, but he supposed even those who he had never seen with the young girl, or if only briefly, were close to her.

Even Might Gai was shaking. His usual green spandex had been traded in for one of a dark tone, the normally orange accessories now a dull gray.

Perhaps the girl had touched more lives than he had realized. Perhaps every ninja in Konoha had known her, or turned to her for assistance, whether it be for advice or healing purposes. And, maybe even citizens had been touched by the light she left, which although the source was gone, would continue to shine on in the memories of those who knew her best.

Yamato trembled as countless unhappy thoughts crossed his mind.

And what of the other boy? Lee-san, was his name? Yamato couldn't have been sure, he looked too much like Gai to remember his name at a time like this. Was he not affectionate towards Sakura? Was he not still on a mission, where he had been for several months? What of when he came back?

His shaking only got worse, but he was jolted from his questioning as he felt a slight warmth on his arm.

Looking to his left, Yamato had noticed Naruto had placed his arm on his, and was rubbing his heat into him gently.

Yamato offered the best smile he could, which wasn't very impressive, and turned back to the Hokage. She looked as though her own tears willed to spill onto the ground below.

If the Hokage could allow a moment of weakness, Yamato felt as though he could, as well. And so, he did not protest when tears streaked down his cheeks, nor did he try to alter their path with his movements. He wept silently for the teammate he had lost, for the friend no one would see again, and for the girl who shared the same name and color as the tree behind the Hokage. 


	8. Rock Lee

Rock Lee barreled throughout the entire village. Though the night provided little light, and the lanterns were too dim to be of any use, he knew exactly where he was going, and his heart led him through the familiar paths. He had just arrived home from a mission that had lasted the better part of a year, and he was glad to be back in Konoha.

As he traveled, he bit back small winces, the pain in his left shoulder slowing him down. He held onto his Cherry Blossom's words, however. She had told him that if he were ever injured and did not believe he could make it to the hospital, he was to come to her house. Although he could easily have gone there instead of her house, he didn't want to wait any longer.

Throughout the nine month mission, he had been alone. He had started with three others, but they were to leave periodically. One left after three months, the other after six, and so on until on the twelfth month, the final member would be relieved of duty. Despite having been assigned a team, they were not to contact each other. During this time, his thoughts were plagued with thoughts of his Cherry Blossom. He had done it several times before, but Lee had hoped to pronounce his love to her, in hopes of winning her over.

Making an edged turn, Lee raced up to her apartment. Sighing to himself softly, he gathered the courage he would need to knock on the door. After accidentally lifting his injured shoulder, he adjusted to the one that was not currently bleeding. Just before his knuckles rapped on the wood, however, a voice stopped him.

"Lee, don't." Turning towards the voice, Rock Lee watched as his friend, and teammate, Neji Hyuuga stepped out from the shadows. Slightly confused, Lee waited for the other male to continue, which he did, after Lee lowered his hand. "She's not there."

He was confused as to how and why Neji knew Sakura's whereabouts, but he dismissed the thoughts quickly, asking, "Where is she? I must go see Sakura, she promised to heal me!" Buffing out his chest, Lee pointed to himself.

He was confused when he did not hear Neji's irritated sigh, but rather, his tone was laden with sorrow as he spoke again, "She's. . .It's better if I show you. Come."

Lee moved his fingers from himself, to Neji. Pointing at the Hyuuga, he proclaimed, "I don't need an escort! Tell me where she is, and I shall find her!"

Neji muttered beneath his breath, "Trust me, you do." And reached out for the other boy. His grip tightened around Lee's uninjured forearm as he tugged the green-clad Shinobi away from Sakura's apartment.

Lee was confused as the two walked around the village. Though few were out, all those they passed stopped what they were doing to watch the both of them. He tried to question his friend about the way the others were staring at him, or at least inform him of them, but Neji paid him no mind.

After half an hour, Neji released his hold on Rock Lee, and passed through to the Memorial Stone.

Now extremely confused, Lee followed hesitantly. With his fingers splayed against the cool stone, Naruto leaned against the rock, his tears shining against the dull moonlight. Neji Hyuuga walked over to him, and knelt down. Beckoning with a glance for Lee to follow, he did so.

What he had been doing before this moment no longer mattered. He was utterly baffled by Naruto's tears as they streamed down the ninja's face. When he reached a hand to comfort the other boy, Neji stopped him, his words ringing loudly in the silent night, even if they were hardly above a whisper, "Naruto, it's late." Though he had not said it, Lee knew the words to tell Naruto to go home were on the tip of his tongue.

Naruto did not remove his gaze from the rock, nor did he move his hand. His fingers seemed to be tracing a name, and when Lee strained to read it, he saw that he was too far from Naruto's position to see it. Naruto spoke, his words louder than Neji's, but still hushed, "I don't want to leave her. Not yet."

Lee stopped trying to read the name, and turned towards his friends. His voice seemed foreign, him having only spoken once since Neji took him from Sakura's home, "Who?"

Naruto exhaled, his voice shaking. He rose from where he knelt in front of the stone, and shuffled to the left, leaving room for Lee to take his place while keeping his finger just below the name. Lee took the position, and his mouth ran dry as he saw the name, all of the liquid in his body seeming to go to his eyes. Neji solemnly whispered to him, "I told you she wasn't home."

Naruto began to speak as well, but their words seemed to merge together and fade.

Haruno Sakura. The name in front of him was Haruno Sakura.

His heart would not stop moving. At first, it caved in, and then it beat fervently against his chest, but then it stopped and lurched forwards, before wrenching backwards and pulsing again. The cycle repeated, torturing him as much as the name in front of him did. His Cherry Blossom had her name carved in the stone, which could only mean one thing.

"We got him, though." Turning back to Naruto, he realized the Jounin was recounting how and why Sakura died. Lee wished he had been paying more attention, and began to listen intently as the other boy continued. "Her weapons were laced with a paralyzing toxin, and she managed to get his leg and his arms. Along with the use of these limbs, his chakra has also been suspended."

Lee stood slowly. Behind him, Neji began to whisper farewell to the Memorial Stone, he was unsure if it was to Sakura or to all who had lost their lives. The trio left the stone behind in favor of reminiscing a time where the pink-haired girl was alive.

From what he had gathered between the conversation exchanged by Naruto and Neji, Lee knew that her killer had been apprehended. He sat, rotting, in a Konoha jail cell. The only thing stopping his guards from killing him where he slept was the fact that he did not have guards. Apparently, Tsunade wanted to ensure he stayed alive, no Shinobi save for herself knew the answer as to why, and she placed chakra barriers over him to ensure he was protected, his meals timed and arrived when ready.

The boys flanking him noticed that Lee had not been paying much attention at the Memorial Stone when his voice cracked, and he requested the name of her killer. Once given to him, Rock Lee rushed away from the two, racing towards the gates.

His menor, Gai, having seen him go to the Memorial Stone anticipated this move, and just as Lee was turning towards the gates, he had captured the smaller boy in his arms. The only protests Lee offered where soft taps against his arms as he sobbed.

Gai knew this was not a time for words, and did not try to console his former student. He simply held his lookalike in his arms and allowed him to cry. 


	9. KakaSaku

Hatake Kakashi leaned back against the Sakura tree, one of many treasured books resting in his hands. As hard as he tried to focus on the words, his thoughts kept going back to one particular Kunoichi. Perhaps leaning against a tree that shared her name didn't help.

From the outside, it looked as though he was simply reading one of his "Dirty" books, but on the inside was destruction and turmoil. Although it had been months since her death, and he knew the time for grieving was over, he couldn't help it. She hadn't just been his old student.

He remembered the day she said she liked him more than just a teacher. He remembered it only because his heart felt as though it was being skinned slowly, the pain constricting his thoughts and taking over his senses, just as it had the day she said it. That was the day he had realized he felt the same about her.

She hadn't done anything about her feelings, nor had he. She was a respected ANBU, and her beliefs were the same as his when he had been in that division. She knew that relationships would only tamper with missions, and it was best to eradicate one if you had one, or avoid it at all cost if you didn't. But the heart yearns for love, it seemed, and from that day on, he could see the feelings were not dying inside of her.

He regretted never having shared his feelings with her. She had done so four months before her departure on that fateful mission, and her departure from the realm of the living. But as those months ticked down into weeks prior to the event, Kakashi felt as though he was being strangled slowly. Just as hers didn't, his feelings did not fade, but instead, they grew ever stronger. He found himself loathing her position, for every mission she went on, he found that his heart would sting even more. Every time he saw her come home injured, even if only a scratch, he wanted to kill who she had likely already killed.

These feelings were not something he should be feeling, especially towards someone who he had taught, but they could not be helped. He knew this, for he had tried. Every time he tried to put the fire out, it raged on, becoming larger, and stronger. It was like he was trying to put it out with gasoline.

Other thoughts plagued his mind, as well. They centered around the more inappropriate field of his memory. Every time he had tried to read one of his beloved Icha Icha books, he would subconsciously replace the two characters with himself and Sakura. It was disgusting, revolting, horrible, but it felt so right to him.

Before she had died, he suspected he was loosing his mind, and his sanity slipped by more and more every time she walked passed him. After, he knew it was long gone.

As much as he longed to claim that Kunoichi, make her his, he knew he could not. She was not an innocent and delicate being, for she was capable of killing the strongest of Shinobi, but he still did not want to taint her.

It seemed whoever he loved, and let know about it, died. He did not want to kill her, too, even if it wasn't by his hand.

His speculating thoughts were interrupted when he realized he had been thinking about Sakura for over ten minutes, and had yet to turn a single page.

Hastily flipping the paper, he set a pace. Although he was not reading, every minute he would act as though he had read, and would turn the page. For on the outside, he was simply reading, but on the inside, he was analyzing his last thought; The curse of Hatake Kakashi's love lived on. 


	10. KibaSaku

Kiba Inuzuka cracked open his eyes. As soon as this action was completed, the ritual that had started up after he caught wind of the death of his good friend began again. Memories flooded his vision, blacking out reality. After several hours, and hundreds of tears, he would hear a whine in the direction of his left hand, and then a warm muzzle would be placed upon his skin. He would be forced to get up and go through the day, and although it would be well passed lunch time, he would act as though it was the morning. Once the day was done, he would begin the horror-inducing act of trying to sleep, trying to forget. He would dream of her, and then he would wake up, and it would start again.

And so, he was surprised when his daydreaming was interrupted not by a whine, but by and irritated voice calling out to him, "You don't honestly plan on staying there, do you?"

His gaze turned from the ceiling, slowly traveling down his walls, before resting upon the concerned face of his sister, flanked by Akamaru. He studied her for several minutes, daring her to speak again. When she didn't, he slowly gathered himself, sitting at the edge of the bed.

His habitual routine interrupted, Kiba stood and sauntered passed the both of them. The only one who followed him was his beloved companion, Akamaru.

Kiba walked passed all those who offered him a greeting, his mind set on a different location than usual.

Once he arrived there, he was not surprised to see Rock Lee crouched there, his fingers brushing against the cool stone. No one was with him, but that was to be expected. It was well passed the time for grieving, and although every ninja Sakura came in contact would remember her, most have moved on.

His usually silent footsteps became louder and louder as he approached the other boy, trying to break him from his daze. It was only when Kiba was besides the spandex-wearing male, and practically stomping, that Lee turned away from the stone to address his old friend, "Kiba-kun."

Kiba grunted his response and lowered himself to Lee's level. Despite the fact that the two usually paid their respects together when there at the same time, Lee stood and took his leave, shouldering passed Akamaru as he did so.

Kiba collapsed when the boy was out of sight, sitting instead of kneeling. His voice was hoarse with disuse, lacking the confidence it had once held, "Sakura-chan."

His fingers traced her name over and over again. Albeit he had not cried yet today, his tears did not flow beyond his glassy eyes. His voice was strained as he continued, "Sakura-chan. I never thought of how much I would miss you. But now you're gone, and now I must think of it every day. It has been so long since you walked among the world of Shinobi. What has it been, seven months?" Kiba paused for a second, as if waiting for an answer. When he did not receive one, he slowly nodded and tried to speak again, but no words came from his throat.

This was the first time he had ever spoken to the Memorial Stone without it having been a prayer, Kiba acknowledged. Ridding himself of these thoughts, he concluded that the person he was speaking to was special, and deserved to be treated as such.

His affections had been trained on Hinata for the longest time, but he was ignoring what was in front of him. Haruno Sakura, the girl who would comfort him on a whim if need be. Hinata Hyuuga would do the same, but not to the extent Sakura would.

He had never thought about it before she was promoted to ANBU Captain, but Kiba Inuzuka was harboring heavy feelings for the pink-haired girl. Now, he would have had no problem admitting he was in love with her, had she still graced him with her presence by being alive.

Kiba sighed heavily, still searching to find the words for his late friend. When he could not, he decided to speak his thoughts, "I wish you were here. I know a lot of people wish you were, and I will not say that I wish it the most," He glanced in the direction Lee had left. "But I miss you. A lot.

It's weird. You never quite grasp your feelings for a person until they're leaving, or already gone. Unfortunately, in my case, it's the latter. If you were still here, I would cherish you, Sakura-chan. If you didn't want to be with me, as I know before you left you were opposed to the idea of relationships, I would be fine with that. I would just want you to be happy. Alive, happy, and here."

Kiba's head dropped. He couldn't say anymore, his voice strangled by the lumps in his throat. He stopped staring at her name when he realized he could no longer read it, his tears blurring his vision.

He thought back to how he was before all this had happened. He had been so different, so at ease with life. His feelings were different, now, having his heart crushed so badly, he couldn't cut himself on the pieces if he tried, because they were pummeled to dust.

Sensing others around him, he slowly rose to his feet. The group around him was not there for Sakura, not there for him. He had heard that yet another mission led to the death of someone well known. He hadn't heard the name of the Shinobi, but he couldn't figure that he cared.

Walking away from the Memorial Stone, Akamaru by his side, Kiba wondered how he had let himself fall so far as to not only loose himself, but also to no longer feel aching when a comrade falls. 


	11. SaiSaku

Sai had always wanted to feel the bond he knew Naruto and Sasuke shared. At first, he thought he would find it in the Hokage-to-be, but the harder he searched inside of himself, the more the realization hit that he already had it with someone else. His bond with Haruno Sakura was the same, and yet different compared to the bond previously mentioned. Unlike Naruto, she would not ask to battle. Instead, she would sit by him and watch him paint, draw, or sketch, and sometimes she would even lay her head on his shoulder, if she was tired enough.

The memories made him smile. Leaning his back further against the tree, he watched the Memorial Stone curiously. The pine's bark dug into his exposed midriff, but he ignored the pain, and continued to press his back deeper into the wood, as though trying to merge himself and it.

He remembered the one time she fell asleep on his lap. It had been rather late, or, in actuality, early. Kakashi and Naruto were still fighting somewhere in the woods, Naruto having challenged his old sensei to a one-on-one, or as he said it, 'Me, you, the bells, let's go!'

Sakura had been watching him paint the two for the longest time, but he found that when dawn was on the horizon, she was no longer leaning against his shoulder. Her head had fallen onto his lap, how he didn't realize that, he would never know. Upon seeing her peaceful expression, his heart surged with something he could not identify, an emotion, perhaps? Whatever it was, it made him want to play with her hair and brush it from her face, and he did just that. The two had stayed like that until Naruto and Kakashi appeared, Naruto blaming his loss on the fading daylight that had 'distracted' him when they started. As much as he didn't want to, Sai woke Sakura up, and the four of them went to get something to eat.

Sai was grinning, now. He probably looked insane from the outside, but he didn't care. It was the year anniversary of his teammate's death, and he wasn't going to celebrate by being depressed and hurting. The fake smile that was usually stretched across his face crumbled and gave way to the actual smile that always wanted to break through when good memories of his teammates were produced in his mind.

This was not how he imagined spending the day. He had many dreams about this day, all of them mostly the same. In his dreams, on this day, he would avenge Sakura by breaking through the chakra hold and killing the man who had taken the Cherry Blossom from Konoha. Two days later, one after his trial, he would be executed, but just before the Chidori dug into his back and through his heart, he would address the crowd as a martyr, and speak one single word.

"Hag." Sai broke through his own thoughts as the plan came to a close in his mind. His smile faded to its usual false glory, and his gaze slid back down to the Memorial Stone. Hatake Kakashi was kneeling before the large rock, his eyes intently trained on a name, before darting to another, and then back to the original one.

Sai had been to the Memorial Stone enough to know where Sakura's name was, and Kakashi kept turning back to that one. Much to his body's discomfort, he rose from his place on the tree limb, and hopped down beside his team leader.

Offering a smile, Sai slid down to be level with his mentor. After several minutes, he stood and left, leaving Hatake Kakashi alone. Once he arrived home, he took in the scent of burnt Sakura buds. He always kept them around as a dark reminder of the girl he had lost.

It was forbidden to cast a genjutsu of the dead unless using a distress tactic in battle or for training, but that's okay with him; He was never very good at genjutsu, anyway.

Wandering over to his large selection of canvases, Sai began to paint the scenes of what he always imagined this day to hold. When he was finished, he made a large painting of his lost comrade.

Though he had lost many people before, including his brother, it didn't make her loss any easier. She was young, she was talented, and she was determined to be the best ninja she could be.

And so, when he saw it fit to, he addressed who he thought to be the best Kunoichi in all of Konoha, perhaps all of the Shinobi world. His mouth traced the familiar name he had given her, but his voice went against his lips,

"Ha-Haruno Sakura." 


	12. Shikamaru

Nara Shikamaru huffed, his breath coming out in cold wisps in front of him. Placing his arms behind his head, he continued to walk at as steady of a pace as he could, while also trying to run away from the cloud of Sakura's.

Thinking about their shared names, he sighed again. A voice beside him alarmed him, causing a small jolt at his own carelessness, "I know she meant a lot to a lot of people, but jeez. What are there, now, twelve girls with that name? This is getting ridiculous."

Turning to his left, Shikamaru eyed one of his last comrades who had not fallen to fate. After some time, he guessed Aburame Shino had averted his gaze, and he quickly did so, as well. He couldn't tell, the glasses being in the way. As they walked, the small swarm of girls, each varying from ages three to fourteen, followed each step Shikamaru brought down to the ground. He nodded slightly in agreement, casting a confused glance behind him as one of the girls tugged onto his shirt.

Seeing that she was among the younger category, and had only tripped and needed something to hold onto for balance, he decided to take pity upon her. Scooping her into his arms and resting her against his hip, he asked, "Which one are you, again?"

The young girl piped, her voice hardly audible compared to the other feminine groans coming from behind him, "Uzumaki, Shika-shi!" He cringed. Ever since the girl had heard of her father's old sensei's name, she added the last syllable to everyone's name. Suddenly, another young girl 'Tripped', begging for his attention. It was all he could do not to let his annoyance slip into his voice.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru grunted as he lowered the girl to the ground. Once she slid from his hold, she immediately protested. He didn't know why all of the Sakura's followed him everywhere, he just knew they did. They didn't want to be trained, they didn't want to be taught, they only wanted to follow.

Once they passed the Memorial Stone, Shino waved goodbye and headed in that direction. Shikamaru had hoped that would cause a few of the little girls to disperse, but sadly, that was not the case.

Turning his gaze back to where Shino was headed, Shikamaru submerged into his thoughts, ignoring the girls around him. It had been just over fifteen years since the original Sakura had died. Unfortunately, she was not the last to escape from his grasp. Kakashi and Gai were lucky, to have so many still around them was not a luxury Shikamaru could get used to. Shikamaru had made many friends, but that didn't add up to how many he had lost.

Ino, who he had planned to propose to, died on an unmarked mission. Kiba gave his all against an invasion in a neighboring village, but it wasn't enough. Lee fought alongside the dog-boy, and died shortly after warning the village head of the attack. Iruka-sensei, although not quite around his age was still a close friend of the aged student, fell when protecting his new students against an attack. Choji, his best friend, died protecting him on a mission.

One by one, they were all plucked off this earth, leaving few for Shikamaru to turn to. But that was the cruel life of a Shinobi, and Shikamaru was lucky to have survived long enough to watch Naruto become Hokage, let alone this long.

He was entering his forties, having been twenty three when his pink-haired friend died. He hadn't been extremely close to the girl before she died, but he did know her. He had cried for her like everyone else in his age group did, but unlike those who kept naming children after her, he had moved on.

He had been so enraptured in his own thoughts that when he finally snapped from the hold they had on him, he only just realized how late it was. Hastily detouring from his original path, Shikamaru walked until he was in front of Konoha's most depressing place. "Alright," He gestured towards the orphanage. "Who's stop is this?" His frown only grew darker and darker. It was a grim realization that Shinobi often forgot; having kids meant they could likely be leaving them behind.

"Not mine, Shika-shi!" Soon after the younger one spoke, a choir of similar answers rained down upon the man's ears. He smiled, so the girls had been adopted, after all.

His smile dropped as a girl stepped from the crowd, her voice not having been heard above all the other girls'. "It's. .It's mine." Looking down at the girl, he was shocked to have not noticed her before. She was the only one among the small crowd, perhaps the only one in Konoha, to share the same hair color as the original Sakura. Her eyes were a faded green, a much lighter color than the original Sakura's had been.

She held out her arms for him, and Shikamaru crouched down and hugged her, something he rarely did for any of the other ones. She must have been eight or nine, judging by her height.

The other girls let out jealous whines, but he ignored them. When he let go, she turned and ran towards the large building. He was sure she would get adopted at some point, but unfortunately, the expectation would likely be for her to act like the old Sakura had, damning her to a life already selected, and previously lived, for her because of her looks and name.

While walking around the village, dropping the girls off whenever their houses or parents appeared, Shikamaru stole glances at the orphanage in the distance. How cruel and troublesome the life of a Shinobi could be. 


End file.
